VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Listeners, this weekend's edition of Miscellany presents good news from the Indonesian team which has just won overall champion at the 2024 International Geography Olympiad or iGeo, in Maynooth and Dublin, Ireland. In this prestigious competition, Indonesian students managed to collect three gold medals, one bronze medal, and also won second place in the poster competition. At iGeo 2024, the Indonesian Team's tough opponents came from Romania, Singapore and many more.

The International Geography Olympiad, or iGeo, is one of 12 international science Olympiads held annually. This event tests participants' ability to understand geographic spatial patterns and processes through three test rounds: written test, multimedia test, and field work test. This competition is very challenging because it covers various topics such as trade, population growth, and natural disasters. Organized by the International Geographical Union (IGU), iGeo has become a prestigious platform for students around the world to showcase their skills.

The brilliant achievements of Indonesian studQqoents repeat the success of the Garuda delegation five years ago, when they became overall champions at iGeo 2019 in Hong Kong. This year, the team's achievement is the highest since Indonesia first participated in iGeo in 2010 in Kyoto, Japan. Expert Staff to the Minister of Education, Culture and Research and Technology, Tatang Muttaqin expressed his pride and congratulated the Indonesian team. According to him, this achievement is an extraordinary achievement and it is hoped that it can motivate other students to pursue similar success in the future. Meanwhile, the Head of the National Achievement Center, Maria Veronica Irene Herdjiono, thanked the students who have brought Indonesia's good name on the international stage, as well as the coaches, schools and parents who have provided full support all this time.

Reducing stunting is a national priority. According to UNICEF, stunting happens when a baby is nutrient-deficient in the first two years of their lives, the mother lacks of nutrition during pregnancy, and bad sanitation. To help the government in reducing stunting, five students of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) made a snack bar from moringa leaves.

The moringa-based snack bar is also mixed with nuts, such as edamame and peanuts.  The idea of making a snack bar from moringa leaves came from student community service activities in Wonodri Village, Semarang, Central Java. In this village, moringa leaves are abundant, but are less able to be processed by the local community. The UGM student team then presented an innovation in making a snack bar from moringa so that the community can maximize the potential of the resources they have to solve the problem of stunting. Especially for pregnant women, moringa leaves can prevent stunting in babies because they are rich in important nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, protein, and iron.

The student team made processed foods in the form of brownies and dry snack bars. The ingredients needed include wheat flour, honey as a sweetener, moringa leaves, peanuts, and edamame as an additional source of nutrition and to provide a crunchy texture to the food. Peanuts and edamame contain folic acid and iron which support fetal strengthening so that it can prevent stunting in babies born.

The  Indonesia Consulate General in Guangzhou held a business meeting that facilitated the meeting of entrepreneurs in southern China with Indonesian Government authorities to promote investment opportunities in Indonesia.  The event was held on Tuesday (27/8) with the theme “Indonesia - Southern China Business Forum 2024 Doing Business in Indonesia: Building Strong Connection for Sustainable Growth.”  The event was attended by around 300 people; the majority of whom came from the business community in the southern China region.

Indonesian Ambassador to China and Mongolia, Djauhari Oratmangun explained the moment of close bilateral relations between Indonesia and China, which next year will enter its 75th year, can be utilized by the Chinese business-people to explore business and investment opportunities in Indonesia.

Moreover, Ambassador Djauhari, speaking at the opening of the business forum in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, according to a press statement received by Indonesia Window  on Thursday (29/8),  pointed out that a number of sectors that can be explored by Chinese investors are renewable energy, digital economy and infrastructure. On that occasion, Indonesian Consul General of Guangzhou, Ben Perkasa Drajat conveyed that  the business forum in 2024 specifically focused on the renewable energy sector, green economy and the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Deputy for Infrastructure and Transportation, Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Rachmat Kaimuddin underlined the strength of the Indonesian economy supported by a stable investment ecosystem and a manufacturing industry that began the downstream process. According to Rachmat,  Indonesia has a target to build an economy that is balanced with efforts to alleviate poverty and preserve the environment, especially to achieve the target of 'net zero emissions by 2060.  Ministry of Investment, Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) through its representative in Beijing (IIPC) also stated that it actively facilitates Chinese investors who want to invest in Indonesia.

IIPC Beijing Director, Evita Sanda  explained that through investment policies that are friendly to foreign and domestic investors,  the Indonesian government seeks to create a conducive environment for investors to do business in Indonesia. Based on IIPC data, in 2023, Chinese investment in Indonesia was recorded at 7.4 billion US dollars while in the first quarter of 2024, investment from China reached 1.87 billion US dollars plus investment from Hong Kong reached 1.89 billion US dollars.

The Indonesian Embassy in Canberra provides a place for kindergarten students from Hughes Primary School to learn about Indonesian culture at the Cultural Tourism Center of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Australia. The Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, through an official statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday (27/8), conveyed that a team from the Education and Culture Attaché office of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra welcomed 37 kindergarten students accompanied by six teachers. Staff from the Education and Culture Attaché Office of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Witari, explained that the students and teachers from Hughes Primary School learned about traditional houses in Indonesia and the traditional music art of Javanese gamelan.

The enthusiasm of the kindergarten students was seen when the staff of the Education and Culture Attaché office offered them the opportunity to learn to play the Javanese gamelan. Moreover, the students and teachers were also introduced to the Balinese gamelan in the Balai Kartini room of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra. In the room, the students were invited to recognize each of the instruments. The room also features a mini display case containing models of traditional houses and traditional clothing from several provinces in Indonesia. One of the teachers, Leanne, pointed out that Hughes Primary School students and teachers are very lucky to be able to visit the Embassy and get to know Indonesia more closely. According to Leanne, the experience will be a good memory for students in the future.

Furthermore, Attaché of Education and Culture of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Mukhamad Najib, welcomed the arrival of the students at the Cultural Tourism Center of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra. He said similar activities are often carried out by the office of the Attaché of Education and Culture in order to introduce Indonesia among students in Australia. So far this year, it has received three schools at the Cultural Tourism Center. Until the end of 2024, it has scheduled four more visits. Even in September, there will be the arrival of 100 students from Ngunawal Primary School. On that occasion, the team of the Attaché of Education and Culture of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra gave souvenirs to the students and teachers in the form of mini shadow puppets as part of cultural diplomacy.